


Just Like This

by creampuffqueen



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Friends, F/M, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Nyx isn't a backstabber in this she just makes a lot of dirty jokes, Slice of Life, The Love Is Requited They're Just Idiots, i got tired of all high school aus being only about sex so i wrote my own, so this will firmly stay rated t, some spicy parts but like in the way white people season their food, written off real high school experiences
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29835264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creampuffqueen/pseuds/creampuffqueen
Summary: Rayla and Callum have been best friends since elementary school. Now, years later, Rayla is discovering new feelings for her best friend. The only problem: she's about 99% sure he doesn't think of her in the same way. Not willing to risk their friendship, Rayla continues to hide her feelings for Callum. How long until the truth comes out?
Relationships: Callum & Claudia (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Harrow/Sarai (The Dragon Prince), Lain/Tiadrin (The Dragon Prince), Rayla & Soren (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 43





	Just Like This

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!! It's been a while since I posted writing, but that's because I recently watched the absolutely AMAZING tv show The Dragon Prince! And... I kind of got myself a new hyperfixation. The good thing is that this had led to quite a bit of writing. Anyway, I was really tired of every single high school au being focused only on sex and alcohol and drugs, so I decided to write my own. Being a high schooler myself, I have very first hand experience on the subject. So now it's time to shove my favorite characters inside! I hope y'all enjoy!

**Sunday, September 30th, 2020**

****

****

**Katolis Supermarket, 5:31 PM**

“Who wrote this list?” Rayla complained loudly, stalking behind Callum at the grocery store, shaking the piece of paper in his face. Her fellow sophomore was pushing a cart around, eternally focused on the task ahead. 

“Well, Claudia suggested it, but everyone else added on,” Callum replied, not even looking at her. Stopping in the middle of the isle, he grabbed a 12-pack of soda and loaded it in the cart. “What’s next?” 

Looking over the extensive list again, Rayla frowned. “Uh, it says… ‘those little animal cookie things with sprinkles, you know the ones’." 

Callum finally turned to look at her, a wide grin on his face as they both said “Soren,” in unison. 

“Jinx,” Rayla giggled, “You owe me a soda.” 

“Okay… just take one from the pack when we get home?” 

Both teenagers continued through the store, Rayla getting bored of walking and hanging off the front of the cart, laughing as Callum made a big deal of struggling to push them around. 

She supposed they should be hurrying. Evening was approaching quickly, and soon all their friends would be over at Callum’s place to study. Callum had dragged her off to the grocery store to get snacks for their cram session, considering she lived only a street over and had a car. 

“We’re all going to be sick by the end of the night,” Rayla sighed, loading more snacks into the cart. 

“Well, at least we’ll be awake,” Callum, ever cheerful, turned his head around to grin at her. 

At his smile, Rayla felt her heart give a small wayward flutter, though she squished it down quickly. Tonight was important; she needed to pass this test to keep her grade up, and it wouldn’t help if she spent the entire night mulling over how cute her best friend’s smile looked. 

“Yeah,” She chuckled, trying to pull herself back to the present. _Keep it together, Rayla._

They got their unhealthy amount of junk food, collectively winced at the price, bought it anyway, and set about loading it in the backseat of Rayla’s car. 

In no time at all Rayla was driving, Callum reclining in the passenger seat. With the radio cranked up, neither felt the need to talk, content to sit in the comfortable silence. 

It was hard to believe that they’d been friends for eight years now. Rayla could still remember the first time they met like it was yesterday. 

She was eight years old, in second grade, having just moved to a new school after her parents left on a military tour and she went to live with her uncles. Her first day of school had gone off without a hitch. 

That is, until she met Callum at recess. 

Content to play by herself, Rayla had been making use of the free time by pretending to build a fort under the slide. While pretending to hammer in nails, she noticed a small group of kids nearby. Two boys and a girl. 

While she couldn’t make out all the words, the body language she saw was more than enough. The bigger boy, a head of blond hair, was pointing at the smaller, brown-haired boy, and laughing. The girl, black hair tied in two pigtail braids, was looking between them, unsure of what to do. 

Curious eight-year-old Rayla snuck up, for she’d always been good at sneaking, and listened in on the conversation. 

“Soren, shut up, he’s going to cry!” The girl said. 

“Oh, so little Callum’s a crybaby now?” The boy, Soren, taunted. 

“I’m not a crybaby, Soren!” The other boy shouted, though he couldn’t hide the sniffle at the end of his sentence. 

“Oooh, Callum’s crying! Who’s gonna help him, his dad? Oh wait-” 

Soren didn’t get to finish his sentence. 

_Well_ , she thought as she sat in the principal’s office twenty minutes later, _Runaan will be happy to know that I’m learning something in my karate class._

All four kids were in the office, sitting in chairs in front of the desk. Callum and the other girl, Claudia, were both still sniffling from residual tears. Soren, fresh from the nurse’s office, was holding an ice pack over a rapidly blackening eye. 

The door opened, and in came the principal, shaking her head with a sigh. 

“You three again?” 

“We didn’t do anything!” Soren shouted, voice whistling through the new gap in his teeth. Oh yeah, she’d knocked a tooth out as well. “She started it!” 

“Well _you_ were being really mean to that other kid!” Rayla protested. She and Soren glared at each other from their respective chairs, accusatory fingers pointed straight out. 

“I wasn’t being mean, I was just joking!” Soren explained, “Callum’s my friend!” 

“Well Soren, what you said was really mean-” Claudia interjected, but the boy, who Rayla had learned was her brother, interrupted. 

“Callum, you know I was joking, right?” 

“Well…” Soren’s face fell as Callum dropped his gaze to his lap. “It did kind of hurt my feelings, Soren…” 

“Wait, you’re friends?” Rayla exclaimed, glancing curiously between both boys. “I thought he was bullying you! And my parents and uncles always said you have to stand up to bullies and-” 

“I’m not a bully!” Soren shouted. Voices began to rise between them again, and the principal was forced to interject. 

“All of you, quiet down. I’m going to talk with you each individually, and we’ll see what happens then. Callum, come with me. The rest of you: play nice.” 

In the end, Rayla got suspended for two days for fighting, and Soren got one day for bullying. Despite the massive lecture Runaan and Ethari subjected her to, Rayla couldn’t help but feel like she’d done the right thing in the end. 

When she returned to school, she was surprised to find Callum approach her at recess, a little paper bag clutched shyly in his hands. 

“Sorry my friends and I got you in trouble,” He said, passing the bag to her. Opening it, Rayla’s face split into a huge grin at the sight of two tart-things waiting for her, filled with jelly. 

“Soren’s usually pretty nice,” Callum continued, “But he doesn’t know when to stop talking. If you hadn’t stepped in, he would have said something mean without thinking, I’m sure. So you kind of helped both of us, in a way.” 

“Oh. Well, you’re welcome, I guess. And thanks for the tarts.” 

She was about to turn away and enjoy her spoils, but then Callum kept talking. 

“Do you want to come play with us? Me and Claudia are pretending to do magic, and Soren’s a knight. You can do magic with us, if you want.” 

Well, this game was certainly right up her alley. “I’ll play,” Rayla conceded, “But only if I get to be an elf.” 

Callum grinned broadly, pointing to where the two siblings were playing. “Of course.” 

~~~~

“The snacks are here!” Rayla called into the house, arms laden with shopping bags. Callum shut the door behind them, similarly burdened with the case of soda. 

The pounding of feet sounded overhead, and several heads poked over the stairwell to glimpse the pair in the kitchen. “Finally!” Soren cheered, racing downstairs to try and rifle through the bags Rayla was carrying. 

“Not yet, you lump,” Rayla scolded, pushing past the senior boy, “We’ve got to get upstairs at least.” 

“Thanks for going to get snacks,” Claudia called, and her thanks was echoed by the other kids there. Callum and Rayla both shrugged, and made their way upstairs to the game room, where they’d all be studying. 

Sitting on the various bean bag chairs and couches, the rest of the study group cheered when the food and drinks arrived. Andromeda, Callisto, Ram, Skor, and Marcos all leapt up to snatch the snacks they wanted. When everyone was sitting again, food in hand, Callum gave a dramatic clearing of his throat, turning all the heads in the room towards him. 

“So, uh, thanks for coming over. Hopefully we can all actually get some studying done, since, you know, that’s what we’re here for.” He fixed a firm glance on the two couples in the room. “Ground rules: no making out in my house, don’t be super messy, and also please actually study. Soren, no idea what you’re doing here since you’ve already taken this history class, but okay.” 

The older boy shrugged, taking a big gulp of his soda. “Moral support. A welcome distraction.” 

Callum clapped his hands together once. “Okay then. I actually made a schedule for this, and if we follow it, we can cover all of the sections by… midnight, I think. 11 pm if we work really fast.” 

“You made a _schedule_ for studying?” Callisto asked in disbelief. Andromeda laughed, throwing an arm over her partner’s shoulder. 

“Yes, I made a _schedule_ for studying, I think it’s going to be very helpful!” Callum defended, crossing his arms over his chest. Even talking with the other two people, his green eyes somehow still managed to find Rayla’s. 

She met his gaze, just for a second, heart pounding, before she looked away again. “Well, guys, if Callum wants to make a study schedule, good for him. Let’s just get started; I really need to pass this test.” 

“Since when have you been worried about grades, Rayla?” Skor snorted, reclining in a beanbag chair, dumping spicy chips into his mouth. 

“Since I’m in four extracurriculars and if I don’t pass, I don’t play.” 

“Try-hard,” Soren coughed from his seat. Rayla just flashed him her middle finger, eliciting wild laughter from the rest of the room. 

“ _Guys_ ,” Callum whined, “I’m trying to be productive-” 

“Okay, let’s start,” Claudia said, placing a gentle hand on Callum’s arm. It took everything Rayla had not to glare at the other girl, biting back the unwarranted flash of jealousy. 

_That’s all in the past. We figured it out._

Usually, she could forget just how close Callum was with Soren and Claudia. But then, something like this would happen, and she’d be reminded that before he met her, it was the siblings who were his best friends. 

Having known them his whole life, it was no surprise that he’d developed a massive crush on Claudia in middle school. And he never _shut up_ about it. 

His confession at the end of seventh grade had very nearly torn their friend group to shreds. He wanted to ask her to the end of year dance, and when Claudia accepted he was ecstatic. Rayla had been happy for him, and just hoped that when they started dating, they wouldn’t be weird about it and make her and Soren uncomfortable. 

But as it turned out, Claudia only thought of Callum as a friend. When she told him, Callum was crushed. 

Rayla could still remember opening up her front door to see her best friend standing there, tears streaking down his face. 

“Rayla, I just- I can’t believe how stupid I am-” 

She pulled him into a fierce hug, and didn’t relinquish her grip on him until his mother came to pick him up. At school the next day, nobody could stop her wrath as she stalked up to Claudia and demanded answers. 

“How could you?! You _know_ how Callum feels about you, and you led him on anyway!” Rayla shouted. 

“I didn’t want to hurt his feelings!” Claudia insisted, “And I do know how he feels and I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea-” 

“No, I _know_ what flirting looks like, and you led him on! He believed that you felt the same way!” 

Claudia looked on the verge of tears, and some sick part of Rayla was glad for it. Let her feel bad for her actions, let her feel the same way Callum was feeling. 

“Look, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings. I just… I don’t see Callum in that way.” 

“Then why’d you keep flirting with him?” Rayla’s voice was dangerously low. Their shouting match had attracted a small audience in the school cafeteria. 

“I…” She was at a loss for words. 

“You know what?” Rayla snapped, “Save it for someone who cares. Explain yourself to Callum, not me. It’s him who needs the apology.” 

The next few weeks were tense. Hardly any of them spoke to each other. Even though Soren was in high school and had nothing to do with the drama, he still sided with his sister, like Rayla knew he would. 

Things worked out. Slowly, but surely, they worked out. But not without a lot of tears from everyone involved, a lot of yelling, a lot of accusations. Things worked out. 

But even after Claudia and Callum were on speaking terms again, he decided to ditch the dance. Rayla, who never was going in the first place, was more than happy to offer up her couch for a night of movie watching and junk food eating. And sure, Claudia’s Instagram photos were cute, but for Rayla, nothing could beat the fun she was having with her best friend, right here. 

Rayla was pretty sure that was when she’d started to fall in love with him. Or, more accurately, when she realized that she already _had_ fallen in love with him. 

However, confessing your love to your best friend after a recent heartbreak seemed like a bad idea. So she kept it to herself. 

Which, she supposed, was how she found herself here, three years later, still madly in love with her best friend who was none the wiser, getting jealous over a relationship she both _knew_ was purely innocent and also she had no claim over anyway. 

_Cool, Rayla, very cool._

Shoving down her stupid feelings, Rayla listened as Callum went over his plan for the evening. Review through chapter 2, take a 15 minute break, review through chapter 4, continue pattern until they got through all the chapters they needed. 

The plan was met with a loud groan of complaint from Soren’s end. “Callum, why are you even doing this? You literally have a photographic memory.” 

“Well, you guys don’t, so really I’m helping all of you!” 

“I mean…” Rayla snorted, “Soren does have a point. Why are _you_ so worried about studying, Callum?” 

The teenage boy scratched at his neck awkwardly. “Well, uh, it’s kind of embarrassing, but… I’ve only skimmed for answers this entire time. I need to actually read the passages to remember it.” 

Rayla just rolled her eyes. “Callum. Everyone on earth just skims for answers. We know you’re all goody two-shoes, teacher’s pet, but chill. You’re going to be fine.” 

“How are _you_ so chill, Rayla?” Callum demanded, “Weren’t you just freaking out, like, two seconds ago? Hello, Miss I’m-in-every-sport-imaginable?” 

“Changing the subject!” Rayla declared loudly, “Open up the textbook, Callum!” 

~~~~

“ _Time check,_ ” Ram moaned from where his face was pressed into one of the beanbag chairs, “ _How much longer?_ ” 

“We’re at-” Callum attempted to respond, but was cut off by a yawn. 

“Chapter six?” Rayla asked, though she wasn’t too sure herself. All the words were beginning to jumble together on the pages. At some point her notecards had gotten mixed up, and random dates and events were scattered all over the room. 

“No, the _time,_ ” Ram complained. The other boy sat up, brushing his shaggy white hair from his eyes. “What time is it? My curfew is 11:30.” 

Callisto grabbed their phone and took a glance. “11:15.” 

“Ok, let’s review,” Callum suggested. However, the entire room gave a loud groan of complaint. 

“My brain is _melting!_ ” Soren cried, dramatically tossing his head into Marcos’s lap. His boyfriend rolled his eyes at his antics, though he threaded his fingers through the other boy’s blond hair. 

“Soren, _you_ don’t have to take this test tomorrow!” Claudia snapped, “Don’t start whining!” The girl looked almost ready to start pulling her hair out. 

“Alright,” Andromeda sighed, “My mom’s calling; she’s probably here to pick me up. Thanks for this, Callum. If I find a quizlet I’ll send it in the groupchat, okay?” 

“Yes!” Skor cheered, “Quizlet is my lifesaver!” 

“Pass me some Doritos, Rayla,” Callum muttered in quiet defeat. Rayla hummed in agreement, grabbing the chip bag from the pile of snacks nearby. Her friend was so tired that he didn’t even complain when she took a couple for herself. 

One by one, the room began to empty. Callisto’s dad came to pick them up, Ram agreed to drive Skor home, and Claudia, Soren, and Marcos piled into Soren’s little car to drive off into the night. 

That just left Rayla. And Callum. Alone. 

“Place is a mess,” Callum sighed, taking in all the damage. Although they’d started out pretty clean, as the night wore on everyone got lazier and started just piling the trash where they were sitting. Crumbs spilled over the carpet, and empty soda cans rolled about. 

“Let me help clean,” Rayla offered, “I mean, some of the mess is mine.” She gestured to the notecards spilled everywhere. Her mind was a bit fuzzy from exhaustion, but she was pretty sure she and Soren had started throwing them at each other at one point. 

“No, it’s fine-” Callum sputtered, but Rayla just rolled her eyes. 

“Let me help. Then we can both go to bed and you won’t get in trouble for the mess.” She left no room for argument, and started gathering up all the garbage and stuffing it in the empty grocery bags. 

They worked in companionable silence, just tidying up the room. Rayla knew his house well enough to know where everything went, and tossed out all the garbage and swept up the lingering crumbs. Soon enough, the room looked nearly spotless again. 

“See, fast!” Rayla chuckled. She glanced at her phone. “Just in time, too. Runaan’s asking where I am.” 

Callum surprised her with a sudden hug, catching her off guard for a moment before she returned it, trying to calm her fluttering heart. 

_It’s just a hug. Friends hug all the time, don’t get all excited._

“Thanks for coming,” Callum said, a tiny bit breathlessly, “I know you were worried about the test and I wanted to help, sorry it got kind of out of hand.” 

“You… organized this all… for me?” Rayla hoped her face wasn’t as red as it felt. 

“Well, yeah,” He laughed, “Even though you probably didn’t need it. You know all the material really well.” 

“Only thanks to you, and you know that,” Giving him a friendly punch to the shoulder, Rayla couldn’t contain her grin. “I do feel better prepared, though. I’ll pass. If my brain doesn’t turn to mush first.” 

“You’ll ace it,” Callum assured her, “I’m sure of it.” 

His green eyes were _so bright_. And his smile so genuine. Rayla returned it, albeit with less enthusiasm. “Thanks.” Her voice sounded stupidly high-pitched, even to her. 

He held her gaze for another long moment before glancing down, at the buzzing phone in her hand that she hadn’t even noticed, too caught up in staring. “You should go. Get some sleep for the test tomorrow, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Rayla breathed, “You too. I’ll see in English tomorrow.” 

It was an effort to leave the room. To walk down the stairs, quietly so she wouldn’t wake his parents, and out the front door. To open up her door and get in the car, turn the key in the ignition. 

The entire street was silent. That’s how it always was, she supposed. The first to arrive and the last to leave. A glance up told her Callum was staring out his bedroom window at her, watching her leave. 

With a heavy sigh, Rayla put the car in reverse. Pulled out of the driveway. 

She wasn’t naive. Callum had _always_ been big on physical contact, and it had never meant anything more than he cared. She wasn’t willing to put her heart on the line like that, not when she was sure he didn’t like her that way. 

Rayla was a risk taker. Always had been. But this? To risk the relationship she already had with her best friend? That was one risk she would never be willing to take. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed! If you did, please drop a comment; they make my day! You can also check out my Tumblr @creampuffqueen for more content! I'll also be accepting ideas for this story, so if you have a prompt or a scene or just an idea of something, let me know! Thanks for reading!


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